Ryan Mathews nagging ankle injury limited him to 13 carries in the Wildcard win in Cincinnati Sunday, and was seen after the game wearing a walking boot. The Chargers, however, didn't stop running the ball without Mathews, they totaled 40 carries for 196 yards with the help of Ronnie Brown and Danny Woodhead.

Fantasy Analysis:

The Charges may be one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, but they have their work cut out for them in the Divisional round in Denver this week, particularly if Mathews can't play. Not including Sunday in Cincinnati, Mathews has averaged nearly 27 carries since week 14. The Chargers have relied on a strong ground game and a stout defense to get them this far, and will need to play ball control against the highest scoring offense in the history of the NFL to have a chance.

Mathews has played in all 16 regular season games this season for the first time in his career. He sounds optimistic on his chances of playing in Denver, when asked, Mathews told reporters Sunday, "My mindset is I'm playing."

Ronnie Brown and Danny Woodhead will continue to carry the load if Mathews is out this weekend.

Tony Casale is happy to be joining FFToolbox.com as a contributor starting late in the 2013 season. Tony has been involved with fantasy football for over a decade and has been writing and recording podcasts as a fantasy football expert for the past three years. Winner of numerous high profile fantasy leagues, he also competes and is involved with fantasy baseball.

When not adjusting his line-up, Tony is a professional actor and screenwriter, spending most of his time in Chicago after spending the last 7 years in Los Angeles. Go Bears, Go Bulls, Go Hawks and White Sox...but never, ever the Cubs.